UNESCO: US border wall threatens ecological integrity of Mexican WH site

The Mexico-U.S. border wall has interrupted the ecological connectivity of a nature reserve that’s a World Heritage Site, and should be addressed to remedy the situation, according to UNESCO. Without urgent mitigation actions, it says, El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve risks joining the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The northern part of the reserve, located in the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico, has been breached by an enormous metal fence. This 9-meter-high (30-foot) structure, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) long, prevents the passage of wildlife to access natural springs located in Arizona.

https://news.mongabay.com/2024/01/u-s-border-wall-threatens-world-heritage-status-of-mexican-reserve/

World Monuments Fund sends US$15M to globally significant cultural sites to fight climate change effects

It wasn’t long ago when UNESCO estimated that one in six cultural heritage sites around the world are threatened by climate change. To address this, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) awarded $15 million in funding this week to a bevy of projects and research initiatives that could insulate cultural heritage sites from global warming in places such as India, Peru, and the United Kingdom.

https://www.archpaper.com/2024/01/world-monuments-fund-15-million-climate-heritage-solutions/

Canada | First Indigenous PA in Manitoba takes key step forward

Manitoba’s first Indigenous protected area reached a historic milestone Thursday as the chiefs of four northern First Nations joined provincial and federal leaders to sign a memorandum of understanding, marking the formal first steps towards conserving the vast, untouched wilderness of the Seal River Watershed.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/01/18/mou-signing-first-formal-step-in-creating-historic-conservation-area